Responding to new findings by Citizen Lab that the device of former member of the European Parliament, Stelios Kouloglou, was infected with Pegasus spyware between October 2022 and March 2023, while he was serving on a European Parliament committee investigating Pegasus and other similar spyware, Elina Castillo Jiménez, Advocacy and Policy Advisor for the Security Lab at Amnesty International, said:
“The fact that Stelios Kouloglou’s device was infected with an intrusive form of spyware that only governments can procure, while he was actively involved in the parliamentary inquiry committee that was investigating spyware abuse by European countries, raises serious concerns about the integrity of independent oversight at the highest levels in Europe.
“The brazen targeting of someone in his position underlines how inadequate the current system is, and is yet another wake-up call that the protections that were put in place to prevent this kind of abuse are still not being implemented in Europe.
“Three years ago, the European Parliament’s PEGA Committee on which Stelios Kouloglou sat issued clear and detailed recommendations for how to close the gaps that allow this abuse to continue. We are still waiting for implementation. Delaying it sends the wrong message about impunity in the surveillance industry.
“European leaders must find the political will needed to protect people from spyware abuse. An independent and impartial investigation into this attack together with a roadmap for implementing PEGA recommendations, is urgently needed. If an elected member of parliament is not safe from unlawful surveillance, then no one is.”
Background
On July 3, 2026, Citizen Lab published a report confirming that Stelios Kouloglou’s mobile device was targeted and infected with Pegasus spyware, developed by NSO Group, in October 2022 and March 2023. His targeting follows a pattern that Amnesty International has documented before.
Amnesty International and other civil society organizations have today issued a statement calling for an independent assessment of the continued use of Pegasus and other highly invasive spyware in Europe. The statement also seeks an update on the progress made in implementing PEGA committee recommendations.
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